Ingredients
- 1 small whole pompano, dressed, about 1 pound
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and fresh black pepper
- 1/2 pound crab meat, picked for cartilage
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 piece of parchment
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
- 1/2 pound cubed butter, cold
- 5 sprigs fried parsley
- Essence
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the fish with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and fresh black pepper. In a saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, saute the fish for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the fish from the pan. In a mixing bowl, toss the crab meat with the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the crab meat mixture over the fish. Fold the parchment in half lengthwise, and place the fish on one half of the paper. Fold the remaining half over the fish and roll the edges of the paper up to seal the fish tightly in the bag. The parchment bag should form the shape of the fish. Place the parchment bag on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. In a sauce pan, combine the parsley, lemon juice and shallots. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cold butter until all the butter is incorporated. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. To assemble, using a knife, cut the top of the bag to expose the fish. Spoon the sauce over the fish and garnish with fried parsley and Essence
Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
- 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

















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By wlknox_2003388
Matthews, NC
on March 15, 2007
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Unwrapping this fish with a wonderful aroma was just like unwrapping a Christmas present. Delicious!
By agj_5879194
Winchester, MA
on August 06, 2006
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This is a lively and delicious updating of a very old (and very rich New Orleans High Creole warhorse. An aside: the parchment paper "ballon" is good dramatic fun, but I suspect that any heavy, tightly sealed, oven-proof cooking dish will get the job done. Just be sure your pompano is very fresh. Enjoy!
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